“And the
ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the
Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do
to the ark of the LORD?” Tell us how we should send it to its place.” (vv.1-2)
When the Philistines first captured the ark of the covenant, they thought it was a great victory but as time went on the Philistines began to regard the ark as a burden, not as a trophy. So, why did they keep it for seven months? Because they were reluctant to give up such a wonderful “trophy” of what they at first felt was a great victory over the God of Israel. It can take a long time before we realize the futility of resisting God. The Philistine priests had enough sense to know they had offended the LORD God. Therefore, they knew they should do something to express their sorrow and repentance before the LORD.
Chapter 6 paints an interesting picture concerning recognizing sin. The
first part of our text shows how we as sinners are sometimes willing to
hang on to our sin. Oh we can see its effects all around us, but are willing to
prolong the miseries by refusing to part with the sin. We somehow justify the
act though the very punishment it inflicts. Crazy!
The
second part of our text speaks to the realization we all eventually come to,
“something has to change.” We consult our friends and trusted advisors on what
to do with our sin and, may even say to ourselves, “this is punishment from
God.” However, unless call on the name of Jehovah God, ask for His forgiveness,
and seek His strength to live for Him, chances are, we will end up back in the
same place of suffering.
Therefore,
if you have had your fill of the plaque of sin and you want to rid it from your
life forever, recognize the name of Jehovah and receive the grace of Jesus
through His forgiveness of sin. Then, old things shall pass away and all things shall become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The
Truth
“If you confess
with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
